Devotion #5: Where Righteousness Comes From

I often wonder what it would be like to be the first person to ever do something. I am thinking of things like the first to ever climb a tall mountain, dive to extreme depths, ride in a car, or fly in a plane. There is something extremely special about being the first to ever experience a certain thing and be a pioneer in something that no one else has had the chance to do.  

If you could go back in time and be the first person to discover a certain thing, what would you want to discover and why? 

Abraham is revered as one of the pioneers and forerunners of our faith. He was one of the first that God called to obedience, and through Abraham, God created His people, the nation of Israel. What earned Abraham this privilege? Did Abraham offer some wonderful sacrifice that showed God that he really meant business? Or was it just luck, and Abraham just won the spiritual lottery? 

Take a look at Romans 4:9-12, “Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” 

Circumcision was a sign that God gave His people. If you were a male, that was part of the nation of Israel, then you would be circumcised as a sign that you followed the God of the Bible. Abraham was the first person that the command of circumcision was given to, and he obeyed the command that he was given.  

How difficult do you think it was for Abraham to be a forerunner of the faith? What do you think made it that way? 

It could be easy to misunderstand what saved Abraham and believe that the act of circumcision or his works earned him favor with God. Paul, here in Romans, wants to clear up that misunderstanding. Abraham was not saved by his actions, nor was he saved by circumcision. Abraham was saved by his faith in God. Circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign that he was made righteous before God, not that the action made him righteous. 

For us as believers today, this passage is a strong reminder of where our salvation comes from. It does not come from works or the external changes we make as we follow God. Our salvation, righteousness, and eternal security come from faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We cannot get wrapped up in defining ourselves as believer by anything other than the faith that we have in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  

Spend some time and pray. Thank God that, like Abraham, you did not have to earn righteousness through your works because we would have failed. Instead, we are given that righteousness through your faith.